Cameron Archer closing in on £15m Premier League move

Archer, who moved to Sheffield United last August in an £18m deal, returned to Villa earlier in the summer as they were obligated to buy him back after the Blades were relegated.

But with chances likely to be limited, Emery is willing to let him leave again, this time for good.

“We signed him again because he was under our control,” said the Villa boss. “He is young and we are thinking he needs to play more and more and to continue developing himself.

"Now he is close to leaving and in case he is leaving, it is because we think he needs to do his work individually. Here, we can’t assure him that there will be minutes with us."

While Archer is set to depart, defender Diego Carlos is now likely to stay. The Brazilian was a transfer target for Fulham but no agreement could be reached and he will be part of Emery’s squad when Villa open their season at West Ham on Saturday.

"Diego Carlos is completely with us," Emery said. "He was thinking maybe to think of leaving here in case we have a good offer from another team.

"We were open, like with every player, to listen. In this moment and today, he is with us. We are happy with him and his performances were good for us.

"Maybe it can change, but not in my mind to change something with him. In case there is an offer, it could be a good offer. He is training again."